A surgical head clamp is described for securing a head of a patient in position for neurosurgical operations and other procedures and, more particularly, a surgical head clamp and robotics platform suitable for positioning an instrument for use in both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the head and stereotactic neurosurgical procedures.
Surgical head clamps, sometimes referred to as skull clamps, are useful in holding a head of a patient during neurosurgical procedures during which the head must be completely immobilized due to the extremely delicate nature of the procedures. A conventional head clamp comprises a pair of articulating arms forming a C-shaped frame member for partially encircling the head of a patient. Movable pins are provided at each end of the frame member for engaging and securing the head of the patient at a plurality of points. The two arms are brought together to adjust the space between the engaging pins to fit the dimensions of the head of the patient. The pins are configured to penetrate the flesh and engage the outer layer of bone of the skull. Adjustment knobs may be provided for translating the pins axially thereby adjusting the distance between the pins to facilitate securing the head. Once attached to the patient, the head clamp can be mounted to an operating table or other support structure, thereby immobilizing the head of the patient during the surgical procedure.
In stereotactic neurosurgery, a neurosurgeon will often have to insert instruments, such as electrodes or catheters, into the brain with extreme accuracy. In particular, the success of stereotactic neurosurgery is highly dependent on the accuracy with which the neurosurgical instruments can be guided to a predetermined target site within the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used to plan the surgery and guide positioning of the instruments. With MRI, a high field magnet is arranged in a torus configuration with the patient lying on a table inside the magnet. However, conventional head clamps may hamper access to a head location for the surgeon and interference with preferred hand or instrument positions or may further limit the use of MRI.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a surgical head clamp for use in neurosurgical and other procedures for accurately accessing with instruments predetermined target sites within the brain of the patient. Ideally, the surgical head clamp will be configured for use with MRI for guiding the instruments to the target sites.